PRACTICAL (POWERLAB – Breathing)

Introduction
In this laboratory, you will record breathing movements with a respiratory belt transducer
fastened around the abdomen. You will investigate various aspects of breathing, including
the ability to hold the breath, hyperventilation, re-breathing, and the relation between
breathing and heart rate.

Background
Cells in your body consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide. The ultimate source of
oxygen for terrestrial organisms is atmospheric air, which at sea level usually consists of
about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and less than 0.05% carbon-dioxide, plus numerous
trace elements and chemicals in very small proportions.

These gases are exchanged between cells and blood through your lungs. Breathing
movements pump air in and out of the lungs, where close contact between air and blood
occurs, allowing interchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between them. The lungs of
vertebrates are ‘blind sacs’; that is, there is one way in and out. To fill these sacs breathing
must be tidal; an in and out series of events rather than continuous.

The internal structure of the lungs consists of a series of branching tubes that carry air to
the alveoli (Figure 1).

Figure 1 The human respiratory system

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Alveoli, sometimes called ‘air sacs’, are tiny thin-walled, highly vascularized structures where
respiratory gas exchange occurs. In the alveoli and throughout the body, the gases diffuse down
their concentration gradients. This is usually expressed in terms of the partial pressures of the
gases (PO2 , PCO2 ) so that comparisons can be made easily between the concentrations of the
gases in the atmosphere and in solution in the body. This comparison is possible because the
concentration of dissolved gas is proportional to the partial pressure of the gas; this is known
as ‘Henry's Law’.

The principal muscle activity in quiet breathing is rhythmic contraction of the diaphragm , a
dome-shaped sheet of muscle that separates the thorax from the abdomen. During quiet
inspiration, contraction of the diaphragm increases the volume of the chest, the intrathoracic
pressure therefore falls and air flows into the lungs from the atmosphere down this pressure
gradient. In quiet breathing, expiration is mainly passive. The diaphragm relaxes and the elastic
recoil of the lungs raises intrathoracic gas pressure above atmospheric. Rib movements also
occur in quiet breathing through the activity of the intercostal muscles, but are of small
amplitude and thus contribute relatively little to respiration under these conditions (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Diaphragmatic positions and changes in lung volume

at the ends of inspiration and expiration.

In forceful breathing, rib movements are obvious, and the volume enclosed by the ribcage
changes to a greater extent. In addition, other muscles are recruited. The sternomastoid muscles
of the neck assist in raising the sternum in forceful inspiration. During expiration abdominal
muscles raise the pressure in the abdomen and push the relaxed diaphragm up, providing a
powerful expiratory force.

Breathing movements are unusual in that they are under dual control from the central nervous
system. Breathing movements can be made voluntarily in the same way as arm and leg

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movements. However, if no conscious attention is focused on breathing, rhythmic muscle
contractions occur spontaneously. Spontaneous breathing is controlled by the respiratory center
in the medulla of the brain. The respiratory center ensures that gaseous exchange at the lung
matches the requirements of the body. In times of increased demand, the rate and depth of
breathing are increased to bring more fresh air into the lungs. The respiratory center has
chemoreceptors that are sensitive to the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2) and pH of
the cerebral spinal fluid. Chemoreceptors sensitive to oxygen partial pressure (PO2) are located
in the aorta and carotid arteries.

The respiratory center and the medullary cardiovascular center lie in close proximity in the
medulla and inspiratory neurons have an inhibitory effect on the vagal cardiac neurons. This is
reflected in the tachycardia that usually accompanies inspiration (sinus arrhythmia).

What you will do in the laboratory.

During today’s practical, you will complete FOUR (4) exercises.

1. Normal respiration.
You will investigate the characteristics of normal respiration and your ability to hold your
breath after inspiration and expiration.

2. Hyperventilation.
Here you will investigate the effect of hyperventilation on the respiratory pattern and the
length of time the breath can be held

3. The effect of re-breathing.

In this exercise, you will examine the effect of re-breathing your expired gas on respiratory
patterns.

4. Breathing and heart rate.

Here you will study variations in heart rate during breathing. The study of heart rate
variability is an area of rapidly growing interest with applications in clinical medicine and
medical science.

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Setup procedures
1. Fasten the respiratory belt around the abdomen of a volunteer,. The transducer should
be:
a. At the front of the body, level with the navel.
b. Tightened sufficiently that it remains under tension even when the subject
fully exhales.
2. The respiratory belt transducer can be used over clothing, and it doesn't matter
whether the volunteer is sitting or standing, so long as they are comfortable (this is
quite a long exercise). Because breathing patterns differ, you may need to reposition
the transducer over the chest rather than the abdomen to get the best signal.
3. Connect the plug on the respiratory belt transducer cable to Input 1 on the front of the
PowerLab.
4. It is important when recording normal respiration that the volunteer is facing away
from the computer screen and is not consciously controlling breathing. The volunteer
may have to stare out a window or read a book to avoid conscious control of
respiration.

Exercise 1: Normal Respiration

In this exercise, you will record normal and rapid breathing, and examine the effects of
holding your breath after inhaling and after exhaling.

Procedure

1. Click Start.
2. Ask the volunteer to breathe rapidly for a few seconds, and then to breathe slowly.
Examine the Breath Rate channel, there should be obvious changes in rate.
3. Enter a comment: 'Baseline 1' in the slow breathing region of the data.
4. Click Add.
5. Record 2-3 minutes of normal, quiet breathing and observe the trace.
6. Enter a comment: 'inhale hold'.
7. Click Add, and immediately ask the volunteer to take a deep breath and hold it in for
as long as possible.
8. Enter a comment: 'breathe'.
9. When the volunteer begins to breathe again, click Add .

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 10. Wait until a normal (baseline) breathing pattern resumes; then let the volunteer rest
and breathe normally for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Enter a comment: 'exhale hold'.
12. Click Add, and immediately ask the volunteer to breathe out fully and hold the breath
for as long as possible.
13. Enter a comment: 'breathe'.
14. When the volunteer begins breathing click Add.
15. Continue recording until a normal (baseline) pattern resumes.
16. Click Stop.

The volunteer can now relax and breathe normally

Exercise 2: Hyperventilation
In this exercise, you will record the effect of voluntary hyperventilation on breath-holding
and the recovery of normal breathing rhythm.

Procedure

1. Click Start.
2. Enter a comment 'baseline', click Add and ask the volunteer to maintain normal
respiration for 2-3 minutes.
3. Enter a comment: 'inhale hold'.
4. Click Add, and immediately ask the volunteer to take a deep breath and hold it in for
as long as possible.
5. Enter a comment: 'breathe'.
6. When the volunteer begins to breathe again, click Add.
7. Record the subject's normal respiration for 2-3 minutes. During this time, enter a
comment: 'hyperventilate'.
8. Click Add and immediately ask the volunteer to hyperventilate by breathing as
quickly and as deeply as possible for 30 seconds.
9. Enter a comment: 'breathe'.
10. After the 30 seconds of hyperventilation click Add, then immediately tell the
volunteer to begin breathing normally again.
11. Wait until a normal breathing pattern resumes; then let the volunteer rest and breathe
normally for another 2-3 minutes.
12. Enter a comment: 'hyperventilate'.
13. Click Add, then immediately ask the volunteer to hyperventilate again by breathing as
quickly and as deeply as possible for 30 seconds.
14. Enter a comment: 'inhale hold'.
15. After the 30 seconds of hyperventilation click Add, and immediately ask the volunteer
to take a deep breath and hold it in for as long as possible.
16. Enter a comment: 'breathe'.
17. When the volunteer begins breathing click Add.
18. Click Stop.

The volunteer can now relax and breathe normally

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Exercise 3: Rebreathing
In this exercise, you will observe the effect of rebreathing exhaled gases. You will need to
obtain a medium-sized paper bag. When re-breathing, the volunteer should place this so that
it covers the nose and mouth and forms a tight seal.

Procedure

1. Click Start. Enter a comment: 'baseline', and click Add.

2. Record the baseline for 2-3 minutes.
3. Enter a comment: 'rebreathing'.
4. Click Add and immediately ask the volunteer to place the paper bag over the nose and
mouth, and rebreathe the air in the bag.
5. Enter a comment: 'breathe'.
6. After 60 seconds of rebreathing, click Add; then immediately ask the volunteer to
remove the paper bag from the nose and mouth.
7. Continue recording for 60 seconds.
8. Click Stop.

Exercise 4: Breathing and Heart Rate

In this exercise, you will record and examine the effect of breath-holding on heart rate.

Procedure

1. Leave the respiratory belt fastened around the abdomen of the volunteer.
2. Connect the finger pulse transducer to Input 2 on the PowerLab.
3. Place the pressure pad of the finger pulse transducer against the tip of the middle
finger of either hand of the volunteer. Use the Velcro strap to attach it firmly - neither
loose nor tight.
4. Ensure that the person sits quietly with his or her hands resting in their lap, or on a
bench, to minimize transducer movements.

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 5. Click Start.
6. Record a baseline heart rate and breathing pattern for two minutes. (Variation in the
heart rate is most evident with slow, deep breathing.)
7. After recording the baseline signals, enter a comment: 'inhale hold'.
8. Click Add, and immediately ask the volunteer to take a deep breath and hold it in for
as long as possible.
9. While the volunteer is not breathing, enter a comment: 'breathe'.
10. When the volunteer begins breathing, click Add.
11. Click Stop.

The volunteer can now relax and breathe normally

Lab report requirement:

Based on your 4 activities performed during the lab session, include the representative
data/graphs that you’ve obtained & describe your data. Discuss your data to explain why you
obtain these changes in trends on the parameters measured.
Answer the following questions too:
1. Describe the breathing parameter changes for as asthmatic patient. How is the data
obtained/measured?
2. Describe the breathing parameter changes for a COPD patient. How is the data
obtained/measured?
3. ‘Monitoring and evaluation of asthma severity should include peak expiratory flow
(PEF) and oxygen saturation. In severe and life- threatening asthma, PEF measurement
is not necessary & arterial blood gases should be done if readily available’ is stated in
the clinical guideline of asthma management.
i. Explain the concepts of the terms PEF, oxygen saturation & arterial blood gases.
ii. How these parameters change accordingly to the respiratory condition?
iii. Justify why such suggestion is given for the clinical management.